Change thoughts by Breathing in an even rhythm 7:7 ... 10:10 what does it actually do with the mind? Alchemical background?

[4bsolute]

When we breathe in an even pace with the perceived same length of an inhale and an exhale, what happens with the mind?

 

I would assume we come back to our center. Since inbreath can be seen as future and outbreath as past. Or vice versa. No personal research done with it yet.

 

All of this changes our thoughts. Since thinking is directly connected to our breathing. No breathing means literally no thinking. That is why in my personal research I came across information in which it is written that no thinking only can happen in the abscence of breath. And in my self-experience in a state not-breathing, I had not thought. I quickly had thought again wanting to analyze the situation, which made me breathe in again.

 

What is the alchemical background of it? What is getting altered inside of us?

 

I have noticed when breathing in this pace, that my outbreath is mostly much longer than my inbreath. So it was a very unsusual feel to shorten the outbreath and start breathing in again.

 

Edited March 31, 2015 by 4bsolute

[astralc]

4bsolute, interesting topic, I will try to give some info that I have learned about the breath.

 

Firstly your breathing links the heart and the lungs. On your in breath your lungs expand and the heart becomes slightly compressed, this leads to your heart beating a little faster on the in breath, plus it is also under slight stress.

On the out breath the lungs collapse and the heart is released from this compression, it slows down a tiny bit.

 

If you use a finger pulse sensor instrument this is seen as the pulse beats speeding on the in breath and slowing on the out breath. This is the same finger sensor used in hospitals to measure blood oxygen levels.

 

It has been found that using a 5 second in breath followed by a 5 second out breath, thus a 10 second cycle, is the best rhythm between the heart and lung systems. It is recognised as Heart Lung Coherence. Tribal natives have a natural breathing rhythm like this, city dwellers have shallow faster breaths that leads to illness.

 

If you translate breathing rhythms to our Taoist meditation meditations you will find that slow long breathing cycles leads to another level of awareness. Thus training yourself to breath deeply and slowly, 15 seconds in and the same out, thus a 30 second cycle, leads to your mind sinking deeper into your inner world. Yes, breathing meditations are awesome for meditating, and you may find that you drop off into another world, dreams, etc. doing this.

 

Chi kung is breathing chi, by combining your breath with chi, you can move your chi through your body too. Breathing out through your feet, imagining that they can touch the wall beyond your bed, is another great meditation, called Earthing when you do it standing up.

 

I use the pulse finger sensor at work and you will be surprised just how powerful the 10 second cycle breathing is, if you stick to it you will sleep heaps better too. I generally fall asleep doing this breathing rhythm after only a few cycles, its great.

 

If you are interested you can ask me about what the brain does when we close our eyes and start meditating

[9th]

 

What is the alchemical background of it? What is getting altered inside of us?

 

Prāṇāyāma (Sanskrit: प्राणायाम prāṇāyāma) is a Sanskrit word meaning "extension of the prāṇa or breath" or "extension of the life force". The word is composed of two Sanskrit words: prana, life force, or vital energy, (noted particularly as the breath), and ayāma, to extend or draw out. (Not "restrain, or control" as is often translated from yam instead of ayāma). It is a yogicdiscipline with origins in ancient India.

 

Prāṇāyāma (Devanagari: प्राणायाम prāṇāyāma) is a Sanskrit compound.

V. S. Apte provides fourteen different meanings for the word prāṇa (Devanagari: प्राण, prāṇa) including these:^[1]

• Breath, respiration
• The breath of life, vital air, principle of life (usually plural in this sense, there being five such vital airs generally assumed, but three, six, seven, nine, and even ten are also spoken of)^[2]
• Energy, vigor
• The spirit or soul

Of these meanings, the concept of "vital air" is used by Bhattacharyya to describe the concept as used in Sanskrit texts dealing with prāṇāyāma.^[3] Thomas McEvilley translatesprāṇa as "spirit-energy".^[4] Its most subtle material form is the breath, but is also to be found in blood, and its most concentrated form is semen in men and vaginal fluid in women.^[5]

 

Monier-Williams defines the compound prāṇāyāma as "(m., also pl.) N. of the three 'breath-exercises' performed during Saṃdhyā (See pūrak, rechak (English: retch or throw out),kumbhak".^[6] This technical definition refers to a particular system of breath control with three processes as explained by Bhattacharyya: pūrak (to take the breath inside),kumbhak (to retain it), and rechak (to discharge it).^[7] There are also other processes of prāṇāyāma in addition to this three-step model.^[7]

 

Macdonell gives the etymology as prāṇa + āyāma and defines it as "m. suspension of breath (sts. pl.)".^[8]

Apte's definition of āyāmaḥ derives it from ā + yām and provides several variant meanings for it when used in compounds. The first three meanings have to do with "length", "expansion, extension", and "stretching, extending", but in the specific case of use in the compound prāṇāyāma he defines āyāmaḥ as meaning "restrain, control, stopping".^[9]

An alternative etymology for the compound is cited by Ramamurti Mishra, who says that:

 

Expansion of individual energy into cosmic energy is called 

prāṇāyāma

 (

prāṇa

, energy + 

ayām

, expansion).

—

[10]

Some scholars distinguish between hatha and rāja yoga varieties of prāṇāyāma, with the former variety usually prescribed for the beginner. According to Taimni, hatha yogic prāṇāyāma involves manipulation of pranic currents through breath regulation for bringing about the control of chitt-vritti and changes in consciousness, whereas rāja yoga prāṇāyāma involves the control of chitt-vritti by consciousness directly through the will of the mind.^[11] Students qualified to practice prāṇāyāma are therefore always initiated first in the techniques of hatha prāṇāyāma.^[12]

[thelerner]

When we breathe in an even pace with the perceived same length of an inhale and an exhale, what happens with the mind?

 

I would assume ..

Why assume anything.  Just do it.  There are lots of apps that let you set breath rates.  You can do it yourself just looking at a clock with a second hand.   I have tones for 8-8 and 10-10, going up to 36-36.  If you have a mp3 player with repeat you can listen and breath to them yourself. 

[4bsolute]

Why assume anything.  Just do it.  There are lots of apps that let you set breath rates.  You can do it yourself just looking at a clock with a second hand.   I have tones for 8-8 and 10-10, going up to 36-36.  If you have a mp3 player with repeat you can listen and breath to them yourself. 

 

Yes it was stirred up by you, my friend, and I was simply asking "why" I would put my mind into it and "form" my breath into that way - instead of letting the natural intelligence take over

[soaring crane]

When we breathe in an even pace with the perceived same length of an inhale and an exhale, what happens with the mind?

 

 

I think that depends in large part on the mind that you have at your disposal, no?

[gatito]

 

 

I have noticed when breathing in this pace, that my outbreath is mostly much longer than my inbreath. So it was a very unsusual feel to shorten the outbreath and start breathing in again.

 

As you have discovered, the natural, relaxed breath is longer on the exhale than on the inhale.

 

There are many physiological/psychological and spiritual benefits to this way of breathing.

 

If you wish to check, you can sit down with a metronome, relax and then count the beats to see if you fall into this healthy pattern.

 

If you don't, there's a medically sanctioned device (Resperate) that will teach you how to breathe that way, although it's quite expensive.

 

Correct, properly-balanced ujjayi pranayama training is another option: -

 

mp3 - $30 http://www.irest.us/catalog/product/cds/breathing-for-life

 

pdf - $12 - http://www.irest.us/catalog/product/books/breathing

 

NB Be really careful with pranayama (breath training) it's incredibly powerful and that power includes the power to harm as well as the power to heal. Always learn from a competent teacher.

Edited April 2, 2015 by gatito